The present disclosure relates to a near-field transducer (NFT) in heat assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) heads that locally heats media during recording. When light from a laser diode is introduced into the NFT in conventional HAMR heads, the NFT reflects some of the light back to the laser diode. This reflected light causes power fluctuations of the laser, which then results in shifts of data transition points and optical near-field spots in the recorded track as well as changes in the track width, thereby compromising the recording precision and accuracy of the HAMR head. Without addressing these power fluctuations, further advances and improvements in NFT technology will be difficult to realize.